Unhappy Birthday
by Hodgeheg
Summary: SPR go to an abandoned hotel where a small girl devolpes an unusual habit of following Mai... will they find out what she wants before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Part 1

The van bounced along the track, and Mai felt as though she was on a galloping horse.

"Where are we going anyway?" Mai asked.

"A hotel," said Naru, broody as ever. Mai leant her head on the window, and presently she felt her eyelids droop. Soon she was asleep. Naru glanced at her- he smirked, and continued reading at the file he was holding.

About 40 minutes later, Naru opened the door that Mai's head was leaning on. Her limp body flopped out and landed on the ground.

"We're here," he said, seemingly oblivious to the filthy looks that Mai was throwing him.

"Thanks for waking me."

"No problem. Help the others shift some of this stuff inside." Naru sauntered off inside with Lin, and Mai quickly poked her tongue out at him before taking in her surroundings. They were in a country hotel, with a fast flowing river nearby, and there was a sad air about the place that made Mai feel slightly uneasy. She turned to help John with the equipment he was carrying, and they took it in to base.

After 1 and a half hours, they were finally set up, and everything was in place.

"Mai, tea," ordered Naru. Grumbling about narcissistic tea addicts, Mai stalked out of the room. She was halfway along a corridor, when she saw a girl about 10 years old, clutching a doll.

"Hello? What's your name? I'm Mai." The girl just stared. Suddenly, her eyes went wide, as if she was looking at something behind her. Mai turned round to look.

"There's nothing there. Hello? Where did you go?" The girl had vanished. Absentmindedly, Mai wandered back to base, where Naru was waiting with decreasing amounts of patience for his tea.

"Um, Naru, is there anyone else in this hotel apart from us?" Naru frowned.

"No, it's closed for refurbishment. Why?"

"Oh, I just saw someone. She probably just sneaked in." They were silent for a few minutes.

"Mai, can I have my tea?" Mai slapped her forehead. Naru rolled his eyes.

"Maybe Ayako could make it if you can't."

'No, I can make it," assured Mai, blushing.

"And Ayako wouldn't do it anyway," said Monk, who got an obligatory smack on the head from Ayako.

"Jeez, I was just saying," Monk muttered.

"MAI! TEA!" The stationary Mai turned and fled.

Ten minutes later, Mai returned with the tea, and handed it to Naru.

"Matsuzaki-san, Yasuhara, go take some temperature checks. Mai, you go too," said Naru, still reading a file. The three of them got up and left. Half an hour later, though, there was nothing there. They went back to base.

"Nothing unusual," said Yasuhara, in a cheery voice. Suddenly, Mai felt a cold drop of water fall on the back of her head. She looked up. The ceiling was completely wet where the bathroom was.

"Naru, the ceiling is soaking," she said. They all looked up. Naru frowned. It hadn't been like that when they had arrived. They all raced upstairs to the bathroom. When they got there, the door was shut. Naru opended it and a flood of water swirled around their ankles. The room was absolutely swimming in water- the taps and the shower was on full blast. Mai slipped and fell, and felt her cheeks start to burn. Then she saw the expressions of the other's faces. All of them (apart from Naru and Lin) were wearing expressions of shock. Mai looked at what they were all staring at, and gasped. On the mirror were the words 'GET OUT' written in what looked like blood…


	2. Unhappy Birthday Part Two

Unhappy Birthday, Part Two

"Mai, tea," ordered Naru, not even bothering to look up. Nothing happened- Naru didn't even here her footsteps, let alone the insults she usually uttered. He turned around, and saw her sitting at the table, her fingers stuffed in her ears, with an English textbook lying open in front of her. Ayako got up from the game of cards she was playing with Monk and Yasuhara, and gently shook Mai.

"What? I'm trying to study," Mai said angrily, glaring at Ayako.

"Mai, tea," Naru simply repeated, trying not to smirk at her thunderous face. Mai got up and, cursing everything from Naru to the weather, stalked out the room. Ayako returned to her game. Ten minutes later Mai returned, still glowering, still muttering insults under her breath. She slammed the cup down next to Naru, and returned to the table. It was silent for a few minutes, apart from the whispered cheers and exasperated groans from the three playing cards. Suddenly, a shriek from Ayako broke the near silence.

"Stop cheating!" She said, looking pointedly at Monk.

"I'm not cheating!" Monk said, an injured look on his face.

"Yes you were, I was watching. Yasu, you were watching to, you saw him!"

"Hey, I'm not getting in to this" said Yasuhara. "You can sort this out on your own."

"Thanks for backing me up." Said Ayako, glaring at Yasuhara,

"I can't believe that you accused me of cheating!" Monk's face was a mask of innocence, but his eyes betrayed a little mischief. All of a sudden, Mai stood up, knocking her chair over. everyone looked at her. Ayako's eyes narrowed. Was it her, or did Mai seem unusually pale? Mai stared at them all, not entirely sure why she had stood up. She walked over to the door and slipped out of base. Lin and Naru exchanged a look. Lin raised his eyebrows, as if to say, "well, that was strange."

"Matusuzaki-san, go and check on Mai," Naru said, before returning once more to his file. Ayako got up and went after Mai.

Meanwhile, Mai was pacing the room like a caged tiger. Her head was hurting, and she couldn't stand another argument. She heard footsteps along the corridor, and guessed that Naru had sent someone looking for her. She quickly leapt on to her bed, rested her aching head on the cool pillow, and closed her eyes.

"Hello? Mai? You alright?" Ayako's soft voice gently floated in to the room, but Mai didn't hear her. She was already asleep.

_Mai was looking at a young woman, who was packing in a room. Suddenly, the woman was dragged backwards by an invisible force, down to the door, through the garden and in to the night. Mai followed her to a river, where the girl was chucked in to it carelessly. The strong current soon caught hold of her, and washed her away. Mai made her way back to the hotel room, and found her passport on the bed. Her birthday was the July 3rd, and her name was Green Annie. English… Mai looked around the room, and found birthday cards. She quickly ran to reception, and found that the date was July 3rd, 1980…_

Mai woke up with a start. She sat up, and immediately winced. Her head was still hurting. She heard the soft breathing from the bed across the room, and looked at her phone. It said that it was 1.18 am. Mai groaned, and slowly lay back on the bed, trying to get back to sleep. It was no use, however, and she got up in search of some aspirin.

When she got downstairs, the light in base was still on. She looked around the door, but there was no one was there. Shrugging, she switched off the lights and went to the kitchen. As Mai crossed the hallway to the stairs, she felt a small breeze coming from the direction of the front door. Mai quickly followed it, her heart beginning to pound. She reached the door, and saw that it was wide open. Mai ran towards it, shut it and then locked it. She rested her aching head against the cool door, waiting for her heart to stop pounding. Her legs shook a little, and she sat down is case they gave way. Before she new it, she was asleep again.

**Disclaimer- I do not own Ghost Hunt, or my story would be a lot better!**

**Sorry about uploading the same chapter twice- I was having some difficulties. It's all sorted now!**

**Thanks for all the reviews, they made me so happy. My friend kept saying that she had over a hundred, until I pointed out that her story had been going on for much longer than mine. **

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Naru woke up suddenly. He looked at his watch, and groaned. It was 5 in the morning. He rolled over to go back to sleep, but it was useless. He wanted tea, he _needed_ tea. He got up, changed, and quietly slipped out the room and walked towards the kitchen. As he was crossing the corridor back in to base, he heard a faint sound coming from where the front door was. Curious, he walked towards the sound. He turned the corner and found Mai, curled up against the door, fast asleep. Frowning, he scooped her up, walked back to base, and plopped her on to the sofa. He threw a blanket over her, and started to read his file.

About an hour later, Lin walking in broke the silence. Lin looked at Mai, then at Naru, raising an eyebrow. Naru just shrugged. Lin walked over to where his laptop was, and started his usual typing. Over the next few hours, the other members of SPR wandered in to base, with varying degrees of sleepiness. Ayako and Bou-san sat in opposite corners of the room, not talking to each other. It was silent, and you could almost cut through the tension with a knife.

"I'm going to go get breakfast." John got up and left base. Yasuhara followed him, and so did Ayako and Bou-san, still not talking. Suddenly, Mai woke up.

"W-w-where am I?" she sleepily asked. "Why am I in base?"

Naru slowly turned round to look at her.

"Why were you sleeping against the front door last night? Is there something wrong with your bed?"

"No… Oh, I remember! I had a headache, and came downstairs." They were silent for a few minutes. Naru was just about to turn back to the file that lay forgotten in his hands, when Mai interrupted the silence.

"Um, Naru, I had a dream last night. There was a woman in it, and she got drowned by _something_, I'm not sure what. But that's not all…" Mai drifted off.

"Mai, what is it?"

"She… she had the same birthday as me. And the date that she died on was my birthday." Naru was silent. He assumed his thinking position, and Mai got up to go and get dressed.

"Mai, where are you going?" Mai spun round.

"I'm going to get dressed, if that's okay with you." With that, Mai stalked out of base, nearly tripping over the door way in the process. Naru refrained rolling his eyes with difficulty.

Mai was walking along a corridor when she saw the little girl again. The girl was watching her with large, hazel eyes.

"Hi! I'm Mai, remember?" The girl nodded.

"I'm Azusa." The girl clutched the doll she was holding closer to her.

"That's pretty. How old are you?"  
>"I'm nearly 7." The girl replied. There was a silence. Suddenly, it turned very cold. Mai shivered. It would <em>not <em>be good if a ghost came now. She looked behind her, and when she turned back round again, there was no one there.

"Hello? Where did you go?" _Well, that's strange,_ thought Mai. She walked quickly to her room, and got dressed. She absent-mindedly walked back to base, not paying attention to where she was going. She looked up suddenly, and realised that she didn't know where she was. She walked quickly down the corridor, but it felt like it was stretching on forever. There was a gust of cold wind, and Mai was nearly knocked over. Then, one by one, the light bulbs started to smash, getting closer and closer to Mai. She tried to open a door, but it was locked. Mai ran along the corridor, trying to open each door, and each one was locked. She finally found one that was open, and Mai ran inside. She looked around, and realised that she was in a bathroom. The door flew shut, and the lock was turned with an audible click…

**Hmmm… I really should start to write longer chapters! I can't wait for the next chapter! *Grins evilly* Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Chapter two has now been sorted out, so that it is not a repeat of chapter one. Feel free to read and review! (Hint hint, nudge nudge!)**


	4. Chapter 4

Mai rattled the door handle, but a little part of her new that it was no good. She was trapped. The overhead bulb flickered a little, and Mai shivered. _Great,_ she thought. _I am trapped, with a ghost on one side of the door, and a ghost on the other side of the door. This would only happen to me. _Mai walked over to the chair, and sat down on it. Suddenly, the shower turned on, the bath taps turned on, and so did the sink taps. Water was gushing out. Mai crossed the room over to the bath, and tried to shut off the water, but it was no use. The taps wouldn't budge. She tried to pull out the plug, but that to was stuck. Words started appearing on the walls, written the same way as before. It was as if the walls were bleeding. Get out, Leave, Go away, were written all over the walls. Mai started to shake, and a few tears started to fall. She hugged her knees, put her head on them.

_Meanwhile, back at Base…_

Ayako was glaring at Naru, as if she was holding him personally responsible for Mai's disappearance. Monk was looking glumly at the floor, whilst Yasuhara tried, and failed to cheer everyone up. Even it was sunny outside, inside it felt cold, as if the Sun wasn't there. Mai had been gone for at least two hours by now, and Naru's mood worsened every time a minute passed. \they had tried to look for Mai, but didn't even know where to start. Suddenly Naru's phone suddenly started vibrating. He whipped it out, looked at the screen for a moment, and then answered it.

"Hello? Mai? Where are you?" There was no answer, just the sound of water, and of someone crying.

"Mai? Where are you? What's going on?" Again there was no reply, just the sound of water and tears. Naru, frustrated, put the phone away and turned to talk to the rest of SPR.

"I just had a call from Mai, but she wasn't talking. There was the sound of water though, so I'm guessing that she's either in the hotel, or by the river. Takigawa, Yasuhara and John, search along the river. Lin, Matsuzake-san, and I will search inside." Glad to have something to do, everyone got up.

Ten minute later, Monk, Yasuhara and John were searching along the river.

"I sure hope that she isn't here. She'd get washed away in about ten minutes." Said John unhappily.

"I doubt it. She wouldn't have been able to call Naru from here. And it's not flowing that fast today." Replied Yasuhara, poking at the undergrowth with a stick.

"But you don't know if there are any currents," retorted Monk. The three fell silent after that. They continued searching, but when it started to finally get dark, they headed back, feeling slightly bitter and uneasy.

"Find anything?" Ayako asked, looking up as soon as the three entered base. Monk shook his head sadly.

"You?" He asked, hoping that the answer would be yes.

"Well, there were some weird temperature readings, and the camera stopped rolling for a bit along a corridor, but when we got there, we couldn't find anything."

_Meanwhile, locked in a bathroom…_

Mai stared at the rapidly filling room, crouching on the chair. The water was now almost knee high, and she was hoping that someone would come soon. The messages were still there, and she had long since given up shouting, and was looking dejectedly at the door. The light flickered, and then shattered. Mai covered her head to protect herself from the glass shards.

_Hello Mai._ An icy voice filled the room, and Mai's heart skipped a beat.

"W-who's there?" She called.

_You should really leave you know. _

"How can I? You have locked me in here." The voice chuckled.

_Partly true, Mai, you are locked in here, but it wasn't me that locked you in._

"Then who did?" The voice screamed a loud, inhuman scream.

_IT WASN'T ME! NO, LEAVE ME ALONE! _The voice sounded as if it was screaming at someone else. A freezing wind blew around the room, stirring the water that continued to gush out.

_NO! LEAVE HER!_ The voice sounded as if it was crying, still pleading with the invisible thing.Suddenly, it all stopped as quickly as it had started. The wind stopped, and the voice went. The water continued to flow out, and the light was still smashed, but the ghost or that ghost anyway, had left. Mai gingerly put her foot in to the swirling water, to test how deep it was. It came up to her thigh. She pulled her leg up out of the water, dripping wet, and stood on the chair.

_Back at Base…_

Naru stared at the cup of tea on his desk that John had brought him. He refused to touch it, even if he was craving tea. He wasn't craving any old tea, though. He was craving Mai's tea. He wanted her back, where he could see her, and know that she was alright. He shook that thought from his head. No, he wouldn't go down that route. Absentmindedly, he raised the stone cold cup to his lips, before realising what the contents was. He stood up and hurried out the room, ignoring the curious glances. He was going to make himself his own cup of tea, before he accidentally poisoned himself with John's. As he was crossing the lobby, he looked up and frowned. A dark patch was spreading across the ceiling. Curious, he made his way up the stairs, and stood looking at the door that lead to the room directly above the lobby. He tried the handle, but it was locked. He could hear a rush of water. Suddenly, there were a lot of shouts, sounding like Mai.

"HELP ME! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"Mai, calm down."  
>"Naru? Is that you?"<p>

"Who else would it be? I'm going to get the others, maybe they can break open the door."

"Okay, but hurry up!" Naru ran back downstairs, and burst in to base.

"I've found Mai, she's locked in a room, and the door's locked." He looked over at Lin, and they all got up. They followed Naru upstairs, where Lin proceeded to break open the door. It burst open, and Mai started to wade over to them. Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and Mai felt the floor beneath her vanish. She screamed, and her arms flailed wildly, until she managed to grab on to a black clad arm. The arm hauled her up, and she buried her face in to the chest that it was attached to, shaking. Two hands slowly removed the chock hold that Mai was giving the owner, and Mai stepped back to see that she had been strangling Naru. She blushed, and then turned to look at the giant hole in the middle of the floor, over the top of the lobby. She hurriedly stepped backwards on to Yasuhara's foot.

"OW!"  
>"S-sorry!"<p>

"Come on Mai-chan, I need to check you over," Ayako said, taking charge and fussing over Mai, whilst trying to fend off Bou-san. They all took one last look at the floor, and then went down to base.

**YAY! Chapter 4! Sorry for the wait, my beta reader's laptop has a virus! But it's a long chapter (well, long for me) and really quick to write, for some reason. Not sure what to do for next chapter though.**

**Thanks for all the reviews! Please continue reviewing, or start if you haven't reviewed yet!**


	5. Chapter 5

Mai sat shivering in base, muffled up in a large blanket, Bou-san sitting on one side of her and Ayako on the other. After fussing over Mai upstairs, they had gingerly made their way down to base, after observing the damage in the reception room. Naru had sent John and Yasuhara to the library via the back exit, to gather information on the hotel.

"Mai, tea." Naru needed to think, and the best way for him to do that was to have a freshly brewed, steaming cup of Mai's tea.

"Ne, Naru, I can't."

"Can't what?"  
>"I can't make you tea; the kitchen's door is blocked." Naru got up from his chair, and left.<p>

"What was all that about?" Asked Ayako, looking confusedly at the door.

"Maybe he realised something…" Mai said, but trailed off when she saw Bou-san shake his head.

"Naru's just upset because you can't make him his tea. He's gone off to sulk in a corner." Mai giggled.

"Or maybe he's gone off to do top secret work for the CIA or something." Mai said, her eyes gleaming.

"Maybe he's an experiment, y'know, to see how robots can interact with humans, and he's gone to send off a report."

"Or maybe he's standing right behind you, wondering why you two aren't doing any work." Mai and Bou-san jumped at the icy voice, and slowly turned around to look at Naru glowering at them. He held a brown box, and Mai could see the spout of the kettle poking out of the top.

"Mai, tea. The kettle is in the box. There's a socket over there."

"H-hai!" Mai squeaked, and she jumped up and looked in to the box. There was a flagon of water, a kettle, several mugs and a box of tea. Shaking her head disbelievingly at it, Mai proceeded to pour a little of the water in to the kettle, put the kettle and base on the table, and plug it in to the wall. The water began to boil, and pretty soon, Naru was being given a cup of tea by a still incredulous Mai. She waited impatiently for the thank you that she half knew she wouldn't get. Naru turned and looked at her.

"Mai, have you gone in to a catatonic trance? What do you want?"

"Hmph." Mai turned and sat down next to Monk again.

"Takigawa-san, check the positions of the cameras. Matsuzake- san, take Mai and do some temperature checks." The three got up, and Lin allowed himself a half hidden smile. Trust Naru to get everyone out of the room.

"Wow, Naru has a backup plan for everything!" Ayako and Mai were walking along a corridor, Mai carrying a clipboard, and Ayako was checking the thermometers. They were discussing the fact that Naru seemed to take a kettle with him everywhere.

"I suppose it doesn't really surprise me. I mean, what if the place that we are going to doesn't actually have a kettle?" Replied Mai, turning a door handle. They entered the room, and Ayako looked at the temperature.

"28 degrees. But still, I don't know of anyone who takes a kettle with them. And also, what's with the water? It's almost…" Ayako trailed off.

"Almost what?"

"Almost as if he knew what was going to happen." Suddenly, they heard a bang, and both of them jumped.  
>"Um, Ayako, what was that?" Squeaked Mai in fear, clutching Ayako's arm. Then they heard Yasuhara's voice floating up the stairs. They burst out laughing, and stumbled in to base.<p>

"So, Naru, we found out that this hotel was built about fifty years ago. The first guy to die was a murderer, called Kamura Gakushi. He was on the run from the police, and they found him here on the 3rd of July, 1951. He tried to outrun them, but fell in the river and drowned. Since then there has been a string of deaths, ranging from all ages. However, they all die by drowning, and all share the same birthday." Yasuhara paused for breath, and Naru sat processing the information.

"Um, Yasu, what's the birthday?" Asked Bou-san, frowning.

"3rd of July," replied Yasuhara. Mai gasped. That was her birthday.

"What's up Mai?" Asked Ayako, concern lacing her voice.

"Nothing. Just… just twisted my finger, that's all." Mai fell silent, and moved over to the table, and concentrated on her English textbook again. Naru watched her curious. Mai looked up and caught Naru staring at her.

"Yes Naru?" She asked snappily.

"Mai, you're concentrating. I didn't know that someone of your low IQ could concentrate."  
>"YOU JERK! YOU BIG HEADED, NARCISTIC, TEA ADDICTED ARROGANT KNOW IT ALL! I CONCENTRATE AT WORK, DON'T I? EXCUSE ME FOR WANTING TO DO WELL IN MY EXAMS!WE AREN'T ALL CHILD GENIUSES! SOME OF US ACTUALLY HAVE TO WORK! NOT THAT YOU WOULD CARE- THE ONLY THING THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN IS <strong>YOU<strong>!" Naru recoiled microscopically from this onslaught. Ayako, Bou-san and Yasuhara were watching the scene with open mouths, unsure of what to say and cheering on Mai silently. John was torn between shock and pity for Mai. Lin even paused in his incessant typing, wondering what his charge would say next. However, Naru didn't get the chance to say anything. Mai jumped up and ran out of base, looking horrified. Ayako ran after her.

"Wait, Mai, stop!" Ayako sprinted down the corridor after Mai, who seemed to be quite fast. Ayako spotted her turn in to the girls' bedroom. Ayako wrenched open the door that Mai had slammed shut, and gasped just as Mai screamed.

_At base…_

Naru stared at the door that Mai and Ayako had just fled out of, shaken. Mai had never shouted at him like that, nor looked so horrified afterwards. Maybe he had been a bit harsh… no. He always said things like that and sure, and she sometimes yelled back at him, but still! And also, what did she mean, 'child genius'? He wasn't a 'child'. He was a… a… teenager? Adult? Not a child, that was certain. Maybe she was just stressed. He knew that she needed to do well in the exams, as they determined whether she kept her scholarship or not. Plus, she _didn't _concentrate at work. Well. Sometimes she did, but most of the time she… she… Naru's brain was unable to come up with anything. Suddenly, Mai's scream pierced through the abandoned hotel…

**Chapter 5 is up! Yay! I got a little over excited during Mai's rant, I kept coming up with new words. Please review! Thank you to those of you who already have!  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Mai ran from base, seemingly oblivious to the person behind her. She wrenched open the door to the room that she was sharing, and felt winded. She dimly heard a scream, and with a start realised that that was her. The person who was following her gasped, and Mai blindly turned around, and saw that it was Ayako. There was the sound of running, and Naru, Bou-san, Yasuhara, John and Lin all burst in to the room.

"MAI! What happened?" Panted Bou-san, clutching a stich in his side. Mai whimpered, and Ayako hugged her.

"I'm guessing that," said John, pointing to Mai's bed. It was completely soaking, as were all of Mai's possessions. On the wall above Mai's bed, something was written. Ayako pulled Mai out of the room, whilst Yasuhara edged round the others and walked up to the wall. He read what was written there, and turned pale.

"What does it say?" Asked John nervously.

"Leave now Taniyama Mai." Said Yasuhara quietly, looking worried. There was silence, broken by Ayako.

"I'm taking Mai down to base. She's in shock." With that, she marched Mai out of the room and downstairs to base. Mai was still shaking, and looked pale. Ayako sat her down on a sofa, and filled the kettle that was still on the table with water. She poked around in the box for a mug for a few minutes eventually pulled one out and held it up triumphantly. She then added a tea bag to it, and by the time that she had set everything up, the kettle had finished boiling. She finished making the tea, and handed it to Mai.

"Here you go. Drink it," Ayako ordered. Mai obediently raised the cup to her lips. After a few minutes, colour started to return to her face. Ayako watched her for a bit, until Naru, Lin and John walked in to base. Ayako left, and John took her place on the sofa. Lin and Naru settled back down to their work.

"You okay?" John asked.

"Mhmm." Mai shuffled a little, tucking her feet under her legs. "Ayako's tea is good."

"Yeah." They were silent after that. Ayako returned, brandishing a blanket, and tucked Mai up so tightly that only her head poked out the top. Unable to move, Mai yawned and fell asleep. Presently Bou-san and Yasuhara entered base from cleaning up the girl's room. Naru ignored their quiet grumblings; instead he tried to think about what the ghost would want with Mai. He subconsciously looked up at her, curled up on the sofa, looking even smaller than usual, cocooned in the large blanket. Even in her sleep, there was a small crease between her eyes. He watched closely, noticing that it was getting deeper. She started trembling, ever so slightly at first, but getting more noticeable. Suddenly she was shaking so violently, that the whole sofa was moving. Naru got up and moved towards her just as Bou-san, Yasuhara, Ayako and John all moved towards her.

"Mai? Mai. Wake up, Mai." Said Ayako, sounding worried. Mai started thrashing around and, dodging the flailing limbs, Bou-san reached to hold her head. Yasuhara grabbed her legs, and Ayako continued to try and wake her up. However, instead of it stopping, tears started to pour down Mai's cheeks, her eyes still closed. Naru moved over to her and knelt down, until his face was at her level.

"Mai," he said, "wake up. Now." And he seized a mug, filled it with a little water, and poured it over Mai's face much to the other's disdain.

"Naru!" Began Yasuhara, but Naru held up a hand to silence him as Mai's eyes fluttered open.

"NO! S… she…" Mai tried, but broke down in to sobs again. Ayako hugged her.

"It's all right, it was just a dream. Nothing's going to hurt you," Ayako soothed, and slowly Mai's sobs subsided.

"Mai, tell us what happened." Ordered Naru. Mai shivered, and Bou-san opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again after seeing Naru's look.

"I… I was in the hotel, and this woman was there to, like in the first dream, except it was a different one. Anyway, she got this note saying that she had to leave right then, but she ignored it. Then… then something g…g…grabbed her, and she was taken t…to the river, and s…she d…drowned. And someone laughed… like they were happy, and someone else sounded s…so upset. Like they had lost something important. It was horrible…" Mai trailed off, and started trembling again.

"Mai, did you find out who the woman was?" Naru asked, impatient for all the details. Ayako turned to look at him furiously, but Naru just ignored her.

"Um, I think it was something like Hitomi-san." Naru frowned, then turned to his file. Yasuhara stood up, crossed to the pile of newspapers he had taken out of the library and riffled through them. Eventually, he found the one he was looking for, and opened it up to the right page. The date on it was from 1969.

"Mai, was this her?" Yasuhara held up the paper so that Mai could see a picture of a girl. Mai studied it for a moment, then nodded.

"What happened to her?" Asked John.

"Um… the paper says that Emi Hitomi, 21, was staying here at the hotel in 1969. She was from Osaka, and was reported missing a few days after she arrived. The thing is, it says that her friends were saying that something, or someone, was trying to get her to leave. According to her friends, it was starting to really freak her out, and she was planning on cutting her holiday short so that she could go home. Oh, and she seemed to share her birthday with the same woman in Mai's first dream."

"How could you possibly know that?" Asked Bou-san, looking at Yasuhara disbelievingly.

"The dates of her birth and death are on the paper," he replied, looking up, his glasses glinting. He put the paper down on the table, and it was snatched up almost immediately by Naru. He re-read the article, before reaching for his file. Sensing that the discussion was over, the others continued doing whatever they had been doing before they had gotten interrupted. Naru was thinking, Lin was typing, Yasuhara and Bou-san were talking, and Mai was bored. She stood up. John and Ayako looked up at her.

"Um, Mai, where are you going?" John asked, getting up as well.

"For a walk. I'm bored. You can come to, if you like."

"Okay."

"I'll come as well, said Ayako, standing up.

"Hey, wait for me!" Cried Monk and Yasuhara got up as well, glinting evilly. Mai gulped- that look usually led to some farfetched scheme, generally involving Mai and Naru. Naru was glaring, but secretly he was happy- Base was so much quieter without them. Lin carried on typing.

Mai, Monk, Ayako, Yasuhara and John walked down the corridor, passing the partially blocked kitchen and making their way out the back. They found themselves in what might have once been a car park, but it was now overgrown. Behind the battered fence, Mai could see the river that was in her dream.

"So that's the door he uses!"

"Huh?" Asked Yasuhara. Mai looked at him and blushed.

"I said that aloud, didn't I?"

"Yep. So, like I said before, huh?"

"Well, when that… force, I guess, takes the people outside, it drags it through a door. I always guessed that it was the front door, but I didn't get how the body would get to the river. But the back looks a little like the front, and the river is just over there, so I'm guessing that they were dragged through the back entrance. It was also probably less busy that way as well." The others stared at Mai, surprised.

"That's actually quite a good theory, actually." Said Monk, finally breaking the silence that was starting to make Mai a little uncomfortable.

"Yeah, you're not as stupid as Naru makes out!" Said Yasuhara.

"Thanks."

"Anytime!"

"Hurry up, Ayako!" Yelled Mai, as the others had pulled ahead slightly. They stopped and waited for her to catch up with them.

"Finally, my Grandma's faster than that!" Said Monk.

WHACK!

"Geez! Old and violent!"

"Bou-san, I don't think tha-..."

"I'm sorry, did I knock out your remaining brain cell?"

"Now now, Ayako, don…"

"Don't frown, it'll make your wrinkles deeper."

WHACK!

"Hey now…"  
>"Careful of your hip, Ayako!"<p>

WHACK!

"Stupid baka monk!"

"Is that a lock of grey hair I see?"

"STOP FIGHTING!" Ayako (with her arm raised and ready) and Bou-san turned and looked at Mai and Yasuhara, who had resorted to yelling at them.

"Look at poor John!" Said Yasuhara, and John blushed.

"What about him?" Asked Ayako, peering at the now beetroot red priest.

"Every time you hit Bou-san, John winces," explained Mai, torn between amusement and exasperation.

"Anyway, if we don't go in soon, Naru isn't going to be happy! He's probably missing his precious tea." Said Mai, walking back towards the hotel.

"That isn't all he's going to be missing," said Yasuhara, his glasses glinting mischievously. However, Mai didn't seem to be listening. She was busy looking at the roof.

"Um, why is Azusa standing there?" She asked.

"Who?" Asked Ayako, squinting up in the direction that Mai was staring at.

"That girl up there."

"Mai, no-one's there." Said Bou-san, sounding a little concerned.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Said Ayako, looking worriedly at her. Mai looked at the others.

"You guys don't see her? She's right th- wait, where did she go?"  
>"Mai, there wasn't anybody there. Are you sure you're okay?" Said John gently.<p>

"Yeah. She was there, though."

"Sure she was." Said Yasuhara sceptically. Mai poked her tongue out at her.

"Come on, I can practically hear Naru asking for tea from here!" With that, Mai ran inside, leaving the others to follow behind.

**Btw, in the bit when Bou-san and Ayako are arguing, the half completed sentences are Yasuhara and Mai trying to stop them.**

**So, here it is, the next chapter. Sorry it took so long... I wasn't really sure how to write it, and then school started, and everything got a bit hectic. I think that this is the first chapter where something weird doesn't happen at the end. I think it's also the longest chapter.**

**Please, please review, I get ridiculously excited. Thanks if you have already, but you can always review again...**


	7. Chapter 7

_Mai ran, her heart pounding as she flew down the stairs. She tripped over something cold and she went tumbling down the steps, hitting her head on the way. Everything went black, and when she woke up again, she was being dragged towards a river. She was tossed unceremonially in to the fast flowing water, and she started to be drifted away. Mai tried to remember the few swimming lessons that she had had, but she was still a bit dizzy from hitting her head. She got swept up by the current, and slowly, Mai started to slip beneath the surface. Her lungs filled with water and she couldn't breathe. It felt like there was something compressing against her chest. _Mai's eyes flew open, and she sat up coughing, relieved that the pressure on her chest had lifted. She turned her head and glanced at the dark mound that was Ayako. She yawned, looked at her watch, and decided that it was a sociable time to get up. She rose, dressed quickly, and silently left the room towards base. Yasuhara and Monk were already in there, (apart from Lin and Naru obviously) and were peering over something that Mai couldn't quite see.

"Naru? I had another dream…" Naru looked up and narrowed his eyes slightly. Mai quickly retold her dream, in which time Bou-san and Yasuhara had stopped examining whatever they had been looking at. After she had finished, Naru lapsed in to thought and Mai turned around, intending to go to the kitchen and make the mandatory cup of tea. However, she caught sight of the item that had recaptured Yasuhara's and Bou-san's attention. It was a small, black television, and it sat conspicuously in the middle of the room.

"Um… Yasu, Bou-san, why is there a television in base?"

"Uh… no reason…" replied Yasuhara suspiciously. Mai narrowed her eyes in a passable imitation of Naru. Yasuhara was forcibly reminded of his mother when he had been caught doing something that he shouldn't. His aunt was the same- maybe it was some sort of superpower that all females possessed. He subconsciously gulped.

"So why are you trying to hide it?"

"Because… because…"

"Because they have some sort of idea that they will be able to watch some sort of baseball match on it later, instead of doing the work that they are being paid to do. Mai, tea." Mai sighed, and left the room, Yasuhara and Bou-san tagging alongside her and grumbling about the injustice of it all. They walked in to the recently cleared kitchen doorway, which had been unblocked yesterday by Bou-san, Yasuhara and John. Ayako had refused to help due to the fact that it took so long for her to get her nails perfect, and Mai had been more of a hindrance than a help. It now meant that Mai could reach the normal kettle, and they had a better supply of water. Mai walked across to the counter on which the kettle sat, and filled it with water. They heard Ayako come grumbling downstairs, and she walked in to the kitchen, glowering at Monk. Her mood had not dissipated overnight- if anything, it had gotten worse.

"Good morning Ayako!" He said heartily. Yasuhara and Mai shrank back, knowing that it was best to just keep out of it.

"Morning, Yasuhara, Mai." She went over to stand next to Mai, seemingly unaware of Monk.

"Hello? Ayako? I am here you know." Ayako just sniffed, and turned her back on Bou-san.

"Geez, you could hold grudges for Japan." WHACK. Bou-san winced, and Ayako smiled triumphantly. Mai and Yasuhara tried to hold back giggles, as the kettle started to whistle. She picked it up and was about to pour it into the cup, when something pushed her. She dropped the kettle, and boiling water soon scalded her hand. She cried out in pain, and fell sideways. Yasuhara rushed forwards to catch her at the same time as the door banged open to reveal Naru, alerted by the sound, scanning the room to find Mai. Yasuhara gently stood her up and retreated to stand next to Monk.

"Mai, what happened?" Naru asked, crossing the room and picking up the fallen kettle. He took her gently to the tap, and ran cold water over the burn. Yasuhara, Bou-san and Ayako soon mysteriously vanished.

"Um, the kettle boiled, and I picked it up, pushed and I, the kettle, and then the water, and the floor, and then you came." She said in a rush.

"Mai, tell me again, but preferably not in Martian. What you just said makes no sense whatsoever. "

"Well, you wouldn't make sense when you had boiling water poured all over your arm! And none of this would have happened if it wasn't for you and your precious tea!" Naru switched off the tap, opened a cupboard and started searching for a first aid box. Mai began examining her shiny pink burn. He returned with some bandages and a dressing, and proceeded to wrap Mai's arm up.

"What happened Mai?" He said, a little more forceful this time.

"The kettle boiled, and I turned to make your tea. Something pushed me and I dropped the kettle, and water splashed all over my arm. Then you came." They locked eyes for a moment, then Mai looked away, blushing. Naru smirked. Mai boiled some more water, and managed to make him some more tea successfully, and without further injury. He took it with him back to base, with Mai trailing dejectedly behind him. They entered the room to find Yasuhara and Bou-san huddled around the television that was there this morning, shouting at the television and each other. In the middle of all of this was John, who was trying (and failing) to keep the peace between them. Ayako was sitting on the sofa determinedly reading a book but with a fierce expression on her face. Mai gulped. Naru sat back down in his chair, and started reading through the file again. Mai sat down next to Ayako, who looked up and smiled.

"Hello Mai-chan! How's the arm?"

"Uh, it's fine now."

"That's good." They were interrupted by a large cheer from Yasuhara, followed by a loud groan from Bou-san. Ayako sniffed in a very Masako like way.

"What are they watching?"

"Baseball."

"Baseball?"

"Mhmm. They've been arguing about it for the past ten minutes; their teams are playing against each other." There came the sound of Bou-san and Yasuhara cheering different players, and then a sudden groan was issued from both of them.

"That's odd," came John's voice, barely heard above a sort of static sound. The lights started flashing, and all around them came knocking noises. Ayako ducked as the substitute kettle flew across the room and shattered against the wall. Mai edged closer to Ayako, and Bou-san started up his mantra. The lights completely shattered, and Yasuhara was backed up against the door. He felt the handle, and it was locked. Suddenly, the temperature plunged, and they all found their teeth chattering. Mai dodged a tea cup that was hurtling towards her, but then was struck down by a heavy blow to the head by a chair. She saw the worried look of Ayako, before slipping in to unconsciousness once more.

**My friend seems to dislike my short chapters. In my defence, I have a cold whilst writing this one, and most of the time I can't be bothered to put anymore in to it. **

**I feel sorry for Mai. I know I wrote it and everything, but still, she's probably not enjoying this case. And it's only going to get worse… *evil laugh***

**Please review! **


	8. Chapter 8

_She stood in the heavy blackness that enveloped her, and shivered. She couldn't remember how she got there, or where she was. She heard a 'drip', and moved her head in the direction that the sound had come from. Drip. Somehow, Mai managed to get her feet to move forward, towards the sound. Her bare foot felt something wet and cold, and she lifted her foot up to see what it was. There, on the sole of her foot, was a dark blot that glistened. Upon closer examination, Mai realised that it was blood. Stumbling backwards, Mai tripped and fell through the dark nothingness. She landed with a dull thud, and looked around at her new surroundings. She was in the kitchen of the old hotel, and was looking at a door that she had not previously seen. In fact, the whole section of that wall looked different. She walked over to the door and tested the handle. It swung open, and she looked around before stepping through and feeling the cold hard surface of the stone steps. She started going down them, with one hand against the rough stone wall. Soon she reached the bottom, and walked down the corridor, until she came to a fork. After some deliberation, she took the left hand one, and walked down the cold passageway, her heart pounding, although whether it was due to excitement or fear she did not know. Eventually, she came to a smallish rectangular room, with a bed, a chest of drawers, a small, old fashioned cooking stove, a chair and a table. A set of shelves ran the length of an entire wall, and was completely full of books. Mai walked across, and, picking one out at random, opened it and gave a small gasp. It was a scrapbook, and inside it was full of pictures. Mai noticed that, although they were looking at the camera, they had glassy eyes and a scared expression on their faces. Mai realised with a startled jolt that they were all dead. Feeling slightly sick, she put the book back on the shelf. As she did so, she dislodged a piece of paper. She picked it up, and realised that it was a letter, addressed to __Kamura Gakushi__ . She frowned. Hadn't Yasuhara said that that was the name of the first guy to drown here? And wasn't he also the murderer? She replaced the letter just as footsteps were heard along the corridor. A man came in with a shirt that had dark red stains on them, and was carrying a bloody knife. Humming a cheerful tune, he tossed the knife on to the table, and crossed over to the shelf. Pulling out the scrapbook that Mai had looked at earlier, he stuck a picture in to it. A shout along the corridor was heard, and he looked up suddenly, the humming having stopped. There was another shout, this time much closer to the door. He seized the knife off the table, and went and stood behind the door. It flew open, and Mai glimpsed a young man, his eyes full of hate for a few seconds, before Kamura Gakushi obscured him from her vision. There was a scream, and a pool of blood grew by his feet, and Mai gave a horrified scream. As Kamura raced out the door and out of sight, Mai watched as the dead man fell forwards. She started shaking, and heard voices…_

"Mai…"

… _She couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her…_

"Mai…"

… _The trembling got more violent, and once again she felt herself tipping…._

"MAI!" Mai woke up and nearly collided with Monk. For some reason she was on the floor, and her eyes looked round and found a blanket half fallen off the sofa. She was still shaking, and she could feel tears streaming down her face. She was pulled in to a hug by Ayako, and slowly her sobs started to subside. Naru walked over to her, and knelt down until he was gazing in to her eyes.

"Mai," he began, "What happened?" Mai looked at him for a split second, before launching in to her dream. When she eventually finished, Naru returned to his chair in front of the monitors, and appeared to be deep in thought. A few minutes later, however, he stood up again.

"Takigawa-san and Yasuhara- san, I want you to go and find some pick-axes or any other tools that you can hack down the wall with. Matsuzaki- san, go with John and find some torches, enough for everyone. Mai, you come with me and show me where this door was in your dream. Meet in the kitchen in ten minutes." There was a murmur of agreement, and they all left base. Mai took Naru and Lin in to the kitchen, and pointed to the section of wall that the door had previously been.

"It was there, but the wall has changed." Naru walked over to where Mai was pointing, and tapped on the wall. There was a hollow noise, and Naru, seemingly satisfied, nodded and went back to stand next to Mai and Lin. Soon they heard the dulcet tones of Ayako and Bou-san arguing, and when they finally entered the kitchen, Bou-san was nursing a spot on his head and Ayako had a very smug look on her face.

"Hey, Naru-chan, where do you want to chop down the wall?" Asked Monk, hefting up his axe. Naru pointed to the wall that Mai had already shown him, and Monk, Yasuhara and Lin started attacking the wall. Soon they were looking at a plain wooden door, exactly the same as in Mai's dream. Naru walked over and opened it. John handed everyone a torch and, Naru leading the way, they started going down the dark cold steps. Mai shivered and clutched her torch tightly. After a while and some grumbling from Ayako later, they reached the fork in the tunnel.

"Mai, in your dream, which way did you go?"

"I went left, but…"

"But what?"

"But I don't think that that is such a good idea. My instinct is telling me to go right."

"We'll go left first, and then right."

"But, Naru, it could be really dangerous!"

"Fine, we'll go right." Naru walked down the left hand tunnel, and Mai followed. They reached a door that was thrown open, and Mai peeked inside. It was the room from her dream, left exactly as it was.

"Naru, you jerk! You said that we were going to go right!" Naru ignored her and walked over to the table, where the scrapbook still lay. He opened it and a sheaf of photographs fell out. He stooped and picked them up, and frowned. The others walked over to see what he was looking at.

"Whoa, Naru, aren't those pictures of the people who drowned?" Said Yasuhara, who was pointing his torch towards them. Naru nodded and Ayako gasped.

"There's so many!" She said, looking in alarm at them all. Mai moved over to the chair and sat down.

"Naru, I really don't think that we should stay here." She was ignored as he moved over to the bookcase, and started to look along it. He came to a stop at a small doll with brown hair.

"What's that?" Asked Bou-san, who looked up from pouring over the photos.

"It's a child's doll."  
>"What's that doing here?"<p>

"How should I know?"

"Naru, I really think that we should get out of here, I have a really bad feeling about this place," Mai interrupted, standing up and making her way to the door.

"Fine. We'll bring the scrapbook, and make our way back to where the tunnels forked, and take the right hand one." Naru followed Mai to the door, who tugged on it. It was jammed shut.

"Mai, are you sure that it's a pull door?" Asked Naru.

"Yes, the guy hid behind it just before he killed that other man in my dream, remember?"

"Fine." Ayako went over to help Mai tug at the door, but it was stuck fast. The temperature plunged, and soon Mai could see everyone's breath. She started to shiver, and she heard Ayako's teeth chattering. A pale figure started to form in the corner, with thin straggly hair. The head looked up, and Mai screamed. It was Kamura, his eyes blank, and there was a huge leer on his face. He looked straight at Mai, and lunged straight for her.

**Happy Halloween! Sorry it's a day late, but I hope all of you guys had a good time!**

**20 days until my birthday, yay! (Sorry, I get a little obsessed…) **

**Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Mai stood horror struck. Kamura was coming closer and closer, his hands reaching up towards her. She dimly heard Bou-san and Ayako chanting by her side, but her eyes remained fixed on the figure advancing before her. A high pitched whistle pierced the air, and Mai was able to look away. Several bright white lights flew through the air, and Lin's shiki encircled Kamura. He disappeared, and Ayako was able to wrench open the door. They all piled out and started going back down the corridor. They reached the stone steps and ran back up to the kitchen.

"Mai, make tea. Matsuzaki-san stay with her. Yasuhara-san and Takigawa-san, go down to the library and try to find out as much as possible about Kamura." They nodded their heads, and the various members of SPR left the kitchen apart from Mai and Ayako. Mai watched the retreating figures' backs, her face darkening more and more by the second. As soon as the front door slammed shut, she wheeled around and stomped over to the kettle.

"That jerk! I told him not to go down that corridor, that something bad would happen, but oh no, mister high-and-mighty has to know best. And when we come back from almost being killed by a psychopathic ghost, he immediately demands tea! Ugh! Why do I have to work with such an ungrateful, narcissistic jerk!" Ayako's eyes swivelled back and forth as she watched the young girl storm her way around the kitchen. Soon, the tea was made and they made their way slowly back to base. Lin was, as usual, typing away and Naru was reading. John was nowhere in sight.

"Where's John?" Mai asked, setting down the tea and flopping on to a sofa.

"Getting ready for an exorcism." Came the terse reply, Naru not even bothering to look up from his book. Mai humphed and crossed her arms. A few minutes later her head slipped and Ayako glanced over at the peaceful, sleeping girl. She threw a blanket over her and snatched a book off the table, before realising that it was the English textbook that Mai had, once again, forgotten and left on the table. She stood up and the left the silent room, or near silent as Lin was clattering away on his keyboard. She wandered out in to the corridor, intent on having a shower, and started climbing the stairs. She heard a shuffle, and paused, looking around. Shrugging, she continued up the stairs and on to the landing. She stretched out her hand and placed it on the doorknob. She heard another shuffle, and looked over her shoulder, her heart racing. There was nothing. She wrenched the door open and froze. Once again, blood was dripping from the walls, a sickening red colour. Right in the middle of the wall, one word was written; Leave. Ayako, her eyes transfixed on the word, started to back out of the room. The light flickered on, and she was thrown backwards against the wall. There was a loud smack as her head came into contact with the wall, and she dimly saw the door swing shut. As the pain at the back of her head intensified, everything went dark and she fell unconscious.

Mai's eyes fluttered open as the door banged open and raucous laughter spilled through. She sat up, slightly dazed, and yawned as Bou-san and Yasuhara appeared, each carrying a stack of papers which they deposited by Naru before sitting either side of Mai.

" 'Sup, Mai-chan. You look all confused."

"Yeah, you can tell us all about it. Have you and Naru had another little tiff?" Mai looked from Bou-san and Yasuhara, each with an identical expression of innocence that Mai immediately mistrusted. She warily stood up, the blanket falling from her and she moved to sit in front of the monitors. She noticed something at the bottom of one of the screens, which on closer inspection turned out to be…

"AYAKO!" Mai jumped up and ran out of base. She dimly heard the others following behind her as she raced up the stairs and onto the landing where Ayako lay. Bou-san, John, Yasuhara and Naru crowded around her.

"Takigawa-san, carry her down to base. Lin is calling an ambulance; Yasuhara-san, you will wait outside for it. John, can I ask you to prepare to perform an exorcism in this room instead of the room downstairs?"

"That's fine."

"Good." They dispersed, Bou-san stooping as he scooped Ayako up bridal style and carried her downstairs. Mai followed gloomily behind, and sat down on the step beside Yasuhara. They didn't speak, and soon the sound of sirens filled the air. They watched as Bou-san got into the ambulance and the paramedics loaded Ayako in, then turned and went back in to base. She sat on a sofa, and Mai moodily picked at a thread on her skirt. Yasuhara came and sat beside her.

"Cheer up Mai! They'll be back soon."

"I wonder what happened."

"She probably just fainted over a broken nail or something."

"Hey! Don't be mean!" Yasuhara, happy that he had successfully cheered Mai up looked at her, his glasses glinting. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, and Mai gave an involuntary gulp. A mischievous smile started to spread out on his face, and Mai started to edge towards the other end of the sofa.

"Mai, tea." At that moment, Mai had never felt more grateful for Naru's tea addiction. She sprang up and left for the kitchen. As she was waiting for the kettle to boil her mind wandered back to when she had found Ayako, lying at the bottom of the screen in front of the camera… that was it! The camera! It would have filmed everything! Mentally congratulating herself, she carried the tea back through to base, and set it down next to Naru.

"Ne, Naru? You know when we found Ayako? Is there any footage of what happened?"

"No. I had Lin already check. The film went static."

"Oh. So a ghost probably caused it then?"

"Mai, I would have thought that that was obvious even to someone like you."

"You don't need to be a jerk about it!"

"Are you going to stand around all day making stupid suggestions or are you actually going to do some work, like recording any temperature changes?" Mai poked her tongue out at him and picked up a clipboard lying on the table.

"John, Yasuhara-san, go with her." After they had left, Naru sighed and raised the cup of tea to his lips. Finally, peace from their never ending chatter. He continued to scan through the information that Bou-san and Yasuhara had collected, occasionally making notes in his notebook. There was a sudden shriek that shattered the silence and Naru scanned the monitors. One of them was fuzzy, and Naru leapt up, Lin right behind him. They reached the spot where the camera was, and find John nursing a bleeding nose.

"What happened?" He demanded out of Yasuhara and Mai.

"Well, I was writing down the thermometer, and it dropped really suddenly. The John fell down the stairs and hit his nose."

"Well, I wouldn't say that I fell. It felt more like a push," said John thickly, and Lin went off to find him a tissue. Naru looked at the staircase, and went into his thoughtful pose. Mai helped John on to a step, and Lin soon returned, holding out the tissue to John who took it gratefully. After another few moments, Naru came out of his reverie.

"Right. Instead of doing the exorcism tonight, we will wait until Takigawa-san and Matsuzaki-san return from the hospital. We will then do the exorcism. Until then, no-one is to leave base alone. Lin, you will be paired with Yasuhara-san, John with Mai. When Matsuzaki-san and Takigawa-san do return from hospital, we will only leave base in these twos."

"What about you?" Asked Mai, looking at Naru with concern.

"I will place some of my shiki on him." Replied Lin, and with that they left for base again. Yasuhara switched on the television that was still sitting inconspicuously in the corner, and Mai, Yasuhara and John watched it until it got dark, to the increasing annoyance of Naru. Finally, with much yawning, it was switched off. They were heading for the door when Yasuhara remembered something.

"Um, Naru, where is Mai going to sleep?"

Naru drummed his fingers and thought. There was an odd number, implying that someone was going to have to sleep on their own or there would be a three. No way was Yasuhara sharing a room with Mai. John could… but then he'd have to share a room with Yasuhara and that was just as bad. And thus Naru's brain came to the conclusion that he and Mai would have to share a room.

"Yasuhara-san, John and Lin will share a room. Mai will share with me." This was met with various reactions. John's face went bright red with embarrassment, Yasuhara grinned an evil grin, Lin just shrugged and Mai… well Mai started to protest.

"B…b… but, Naru, I'll be fine on my own!"

"Mai, if that were the case, then we wouldn't have had to come to this conclusion." Glaring at him, Mai stormed out of base. The others followed, Yasuhara still chuckling darkly. They reached the rooms, and Mai went in to hers and sat on the bed, her arms folded.

"Good night Mai-san, Naru-chan!" Came Yasuhara's singsong voice as he entered the other bedroom with Lin and John. Naru ignored him and followed the other boys to retrieve his things. He opened the door to the other bedroom slightly, only to have a hairbrush thrown at him. He exited quickly, and waited until the door opened slightly. He went in to the room (the blood having vanished shortly after Ayako had hit her head) and looked around. Mai was nowhere in sight, but a glow from the door and the sound of a tap indicated that she was in the bathroom. Sighing, he dumped his bag on the spare bed, and waited for her to finish. Soon enough, Mai was appeared. She peeked round the door, and saw Naru lying fully clothed on the bed. Sighing, she skipped lightly over to hers, and shot under the duvet. Naru smirked and went into the bathroom to change. When he came out, Mai was still hiding under the covers.

"Night," he said, climbing in to his own bed. A muffled sound came from the lump that was Mai, and Naru smirked again. He closed his eyes, and welcomed the sleep that awaited him.

**I don't think that it should really matter where Lin slept, as I have come to the conclusion that he is a robot, and therefore does not need sleep. He just needs to recharge, where he gets plugged in to a socket, and then he can carry on typing. ^^ Anyway, thanks to my friend for writing the bit where they were sorting out sleep arrangements. I am extraordinarily bad at writing fluff!**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

_Mai peered around the darkness. She heard a roaring sound which she couldn't quite place. The heavy atmosphere pressed down on her, making it difficult to breath. Mai started shivering, and the pressure increased until it was hard to breath. She tried to push against the darkness with her hands, but there was nothing to push against. She felt her lungs screaming for air, and she realised that she was suffocating…_

Mai woke up with a start. Taking huge gulps of air, she sat up and ran an agitated hand through her already messy hair. Flopping back on to her pillow, she peered over at where Naru was. To her relief, it was empty. She gazed back up at the ceiling.  
>"Happy 18th birthday Mai," she muttered to herself, curling her toes in excitement. She felt sad briefly at the thought of not visiting her parents' grave, but pushed the thought aside. She got up, and hummed as she got ready before going downstairs. On the landing, she bumped into John and Yasuhara, who were also heading downstairs.<br>"Hello Mai! Did you sleep alright?" Asked Yasuhara mischievously. Mai ignored him.  
>"Good morning Mai-san. Happy Birthday." Said John.<br>"Oh yeah! Happy Birthday!"  
>"Thanks." By this time they had reached the kitchen. Mai entered it, Yasuhara and John following a little confused.<br>"Um, Mai, why are we going in here? I mean, I know that a person's memory gets worse as they get older, but I didn't think that it happened that rapidly." Mai poked her tongue out at him.  
>"I'm just getting Naru's tea, that's all. He'll ask for it anyway. Did you want some?" They nodded, and with that she filled the kettle with water and, whilst waiting for it to boil, pulled out cups and put teabags into them. When the tea was made, they crossed the corridor into base. There sitting on the couch was Bou-san and Ayako, freshly returned from the hospital. Mai placed the teacup next to Naru, before turning back towards the sofa.<br>"Happy birthday Mai! Here." Ayako fished into her bag that was sitting by her feet and came out with a present.  
>"It's from all of us," said Bou-san. "Even Lin." Mai looked behind her at the silent man, who looked up and nodded in her direction, before returning to his keyboard.<br>"And this one's from me." Naru cut in smoothly, indicating to a present on the table. She scooped it up and opened it eagerly. Her face fell slightly. It was a box of tea.  
>"Tea. I got tea."<br>"Well done Mai, your observational skills are improving. Anyway, if you cared to look a little closer, you would notice that it is English tea."  
>"So?"<br>"That is my favourite, Mai." She poked her tongue out at him, before turning to her other present.  
>"Um, Mai, I think it would be better if you opened that away from the rest of us." Said Yasuhara, uncharacteristically serious. Bou-san nodded, and Ayako smiled. Mai felt apprehension curl inside her stomach.<br>"Okay. I'll just put it in my bag then." Mai picked it up along with the box of tea and walked out of the door. As she walked up the stairs, she came across Azusa standing at the top.  
>"Don't go in there." She said clutching the bottom of her dress. This time she was without her doll, and she looked slightly scared.<br>"Um, I'm sorry, but I have to go in there. I have to put these away."  
>"No. You have to leave. Now. Go, and don't come back."<br>"Why?" The girl looked over her shoulder towards the landing, terror entering her expression.  
>"It doesn't matter. You just have to go, please!"<br>"I'm sorry. I can't go." With that Mai smiled at the girl and walked past her. As she got closer and closer to the room, Mai felt the temperature drop. She lifted up her arms, looking at the goose pimples that had appeared on them. She looked out of the window, and it was yet again a clear and stifling day, but with a metallic edge to the air. When she entered her bedroom, she placed the tea in her bag, shaking her head as she did so. She then ripped off the paper on the other package. Inside there was a photo frame, with a picture of all the SPR members, even Naru. There was a note that fell out with it, and Mai picked it up off the floor.

_Dear Mai,_

_Happy Birthday! We hope you like the photo. We ambushed Naru. It was quite an operation. (For some reason he didn't want to come….). We hope that you have a really awesome 18__th__! _

_Love,_

_Ayako, Bou-san, Yasuhara, John, Masako, Lin and Naru. (I forced him to write that. :) Have a lovely day, Madoka.)_

Mai felt a lump rise in her throat for the second time that day, but she pushed the feelings away and put them in her bag. She was just straightening up when something cold brushed against her arm. She turned and saw Azusa's doll in the middle of the room, dripping wet. She frowned, confused, when she was knocked off her feet. Something cold wrapped itself around Mai's waist and pulled, yanking her off of her feet. Before she could scream, the same thing that had pulled her blocked her mouth. Mai struggled uselessly, and as she was thrashing around she caught sight of Azusa, looking frantic. Mai sent a pleading look towards her, and terror flashed across the girl's face. Mai's heart sank at the sight. Before she could do anything else, she was dragged along the floor and down the corridor in the opposite direction to the stairs. She was pulled along a maze of corridors, and she soon gave up trying to memorize them in case she did escape. They reached a door which seemed to open of its own accord. There was a hidden flight of stairs there, and she was pulled down them with a thump down every step. They burst out of another door at the end, and she was dragged along a stone corridor that was similar to the one they had explored the day before. They reached the end of the tunnel which opened out onto the river. Mai's eyes widened further and she started to struggle even more, but it was no use and she was tossed unceremoniously into the watery depths. There was a rumble of thunder and raindrops started to pour down but Mai didn't notice, as she was submerged under the river. She remembered the few swimming lessons that she had had, and managed to swim to the surface. She broke through, and gulped a large breath of water. She started to swim towards the bank, but she was swept up by the strong current and pulled down the river. She called out, but it was unheard over the roar of the river, rain and thunder.

**Back in Base…**

Naru ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Mai had been ages, and he wanted more tea. The others were causing an unnecessary amount of noise. And a storm was raging outside, adding to the din. Naru scanned the monitors in front of him, looking for Mai. She was nowhere on the screens.  
>"Matsuzaki-san, go upstairs and find Mai." Ayako looked up, confused. "Now." Ayako nodded and stood up, slipping quietly out of base. "Takigawa-san, go with her." Naru internally sighed with little relief. He continued looking through the reports and making notes. Soon, Ayako and Bou-san came back in.<br>"Naru, she's not there. We found this." Bou-san held out the cold and bedraggled doll. Naru looked at it silently.

"Lin. Rewind the camera in front of the girls' room." Lin rewound the tape, and they watched as Mai was dragged across the screen.  
>"Matsuzaki-san, Yasuhara-san and John, you look inside and in the gardens. Lin and Takigawa-san, you come with me and look along the riverbank. Meet back here when it gets dark." With that, the three going outside donned their coats and grabbed some torches. They wrenched open the door and walked out into the pouring rain. Naru ran quickly down to the river, casting the light from his torch about the river. He dimly heard the others behind him, but paid no attention to them. He strained his ears to try and hear Mai over the river and the storm, but it was no use. He walked further down the river, his eyes scanning the river, when he caught sight of something. His eyes pierced through the gloom, and he realised that it was Mai.<p>

Mai continued to struggle against the current, clinging to a tree root. Her arms were aching, and a tired induced haze was starting to cloud her brain. She suddenly saw the dim light of torches, and she called out.  
>"HELP! OVER HERE! BY THIS TREE ROOT!" a wave filled her mouth with water, and she choked. Once her airways were clear enough again, she took a deep breath, and called out once more.<br>"NARU! YASUHARA! BOU-SAN! ANYONE! Help me…" She faintly saw one of the torches shine in her direction, but at that moment her arms gave out, and she succumbed to the watery depths. Her head slipped beneath the surface, and she felt her eyes close. All that she could feel was the burning in her lungs, craving oxygen. She took a deep breath, but all that she managed to draw was a lungful of water. Frowning, she scrambled for air. This was not was not as peaceful as she thought that it would be. Something gripped at her arm, and too exhausted to struggle anymore she allowed it to pull her upwards. Her head broke the surface, yet she still did not draw air. She wanted to thank the thing that had pulled her to the surface, but she couldn't open her eyes, or her mouth. She felt something on her chest, pounding away on top of her heart…

"_Mai! Lin! I've found her. Call an ambulance. Mai, wake up soon… start breathing… "_

Mai felt the pounding on her chest stop, and something soft pressed against her cold lips.

"_Please, Mai. Don't give up now. Start breathing again…"_

A rush of air rushed through her body, inflating her lungs. She coughed, and spat out a mouthful of water. She opened her eyes, and dimly saw Naru kneeling beside her, shock, worry and relief clearly shown on his face instead of his usual expressionless façade. Mai wanted to thank him, but before she could will her lips to move, she slipped back into the darkness.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _The sound of the incessant sound broke through the haze that Mai was in, and she groggily opened her eyes. She winced at the bright light, which instantly dimmed. As her vision swam into focus, she realised that the beeping noise was a machine that she was hooked up to. I searing pain flared up in her throat, and Mai cupped it with her hands. A glass of water entered her line of sight, and a hand held her back as she greedily drank from it. When it was finished, the hand vanished and Mai sank back into the pillows. She turned her head to see who was with her, and found Naru who was already re-engrossed with his black notebook. Mai smiled, and fell back asleep again.

When she next re-awoke, the members of SPR were all crowded into the small room.  
>"MAI!"<br>"Hi Ayako." Mai managed, although her voice felt and sounded like rough sandpaper.  
>"Finally. It's been days now." Said Yasuhara, his glasses glinting.<br>"Um… what happened?"  
>"Well, Naru found you in the river and pulled you out. He then proceeded to resuscitate you, whilst Lin called an ambulance. We all followed you to the hospital, and haven't gone back to the hotel since."<br>"WHAT?" Mai immediately winced, and Yasuhara, John, Bou-san and Ayako all looked concerned. "You mean the ghost is still there?"  
>"No. When it failed to kill you, it got violent and started throwing the furniture around. John exorcised it and the other ghost moved on after that of her own accord." Said Naru in a slightly bored tone.<br>"What other ghost?" The others looked as confused as Mai was.  
>" The ghost of the little girl. Apparently she was Kamura's last victim. Literally the last now."<br>"But, Naru, why was she still there?"  
>"According to the files, the last victim that Kamura killed stays behind to try and warn the next victim. Azusa was one of the causes of the activity."<br>"But why Mai?" Naru studied Mai before answering John's question.  
>"He chose Mai because of her birthday. All the victims share the same birthday. This is why the police overlooked the fact when investigating the killings. The victim's deaths were spread out over decades, so it would be impossible for it to be one person. Unless they were a ghost." Mai shuddered, and at that moment the nurse came in. After spotting that she was awake, the nurse then proceeded to check Mai over, and shooed the others out of the room. When they were allowed to re-enter, the others found Mai sound asleep yet again.<p>

**Sorry that this took so long. But I was writing Hello and Lullaby, and basically couldn't write this chapter at all. But the next one's the last chapter! So I'll have finished my first ever story! What a bittersweet thought. I just hope you guys enjoyed it.  
>On a brighter note, it means that I have more time to write another story. Yay! And this was a longer chapter than usual. Well, for me it was…<br>Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11 Final chapter

_Mai blinked, trying to see through the sudden darkness. As her eyes adjusted, she realised that she was in a room at the hotel. She heard a quiet humming coming from one of the corners, and peering into it, she saw Azusa sitting and playing with her doll. Mai walked over to her__and kneeled down beside her. Azusa ignored her, and continued playing with her doll happily._

_"Um… thank you. For trying to save me."_

_"Look dolly! Mai-san is happy! And safe!"_

_"I thought that you had moved on."_

_"She hasn't. Not yet. She stayed behind to talk to you." Mai turned, and saw Gene sitting beside her._

_"Gene! Where were you? You weren't in any of my dreams."_

_"I couldn't get through to you. Azusa was blocking me."_

_"That's right," Azusa murmured, still not looking up._

_"Okay… um, Azusa, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"_

_"I wanted to see if you made it. Plus, the others wanted to thank you and your friends."_

_"Others?" Azusa nodded, and there was a rustling sound from behind Mai. She turned, and saw several girls appear. Azusa stood up, hugged Mai, and then went over to join them._

_"Goodbye Mai." And with that, a golden light filled up the room. Mai looked away from the blinding light, which__quickly faded. Mai turned around to look at Gene__but,__he too,__was gone._

_A sudden searing pain flared up in the back of Mai's head. She raised her__hands __to her ears to try and dull the pain, screwing up her eyes as she did so, but it was no use._

Mai opened her eyes again. Ayako said something to her, but the pain in her head turned Ayako's voice into a dim noise in the background.

The room swam, and she shut her eyes in an attempt to block the pain. She barely heard the panicked voices that arose, and soon she was aware that cool hands were pressed down on her forehead. The pain slowly ebbed, and presently Mai was able to open her eyes again.

She blushed as she realised that the hands holding her head were Naru's. One of them reached over to the IV drip attached to her, and soon medicine flowed through her body, soothing her head even more. Naru sat back down in his chair, and Mai turned slightly so that she was facing him.

"Thanks."

"That's okay. You owe me a cup of tea when we get back to the office." Mai, too tired to argue, nodded her head weakly. Silence resumed for a moment.

"Where are the others?"

"I sent them outside. They were giving me a headache." Mai looked at him, arching an eyebrow.

"Um, no offence, but I'm pretty sure I'm the one with the worst headache."

"Mai."

"Yes?"

"Stop being childish."

"Jerk." Mai rolled back so that she was facing the ceiling again. Man, was she bored. She thought about her recent dream, and turned to Naru again.

"Ne, Naru? Can I ask you something?"

"You just did. And I have a feeling you'll ask me anyway." Mai ignored the jibe.

"Um, I had a dream just now. And in it, Gene said that he was blocked from me. Can that happen?"

"Obviously."

"But how?"

"Mai?"

"Yes?"

"Do you seriously want me to go into all the intricacies of ESP right now?"

"Yes."

"Spirit guides guide you through dreams. You already know that. Sometimes, another spirit will want you to see a particular dream, or not see a particular dream, depending on the circumstances. So if they are strong enough, they can block your spirit guide. Okay?"

"Um… yes?"

Naru sighed, "Mai?"

"Yes?"

"Azusa was stopping Gene from guiding you through certain dreams because she didn't want you to know that she was dead."

"How did you know that?"

"Mai, not all of us are blessed with your low IQ. Some of us are, you know, clever."

"Jerk." Naru ignored her and carried on reading. Mai once again found herself completely bored.

"Naru?"

"What?"

"You know when I got pulled out of the lake? Did you really resuscitate me? As in, mouth to mouth?"

Naru stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Mai, if you're well enough to annoy me, then you're well enough to go home."

"Oh."

With that, Naru left.

Mai stared at the clock opposite her desk. It had been a week since she had been discharged, and things were… a little odd between her and Naru. If Mai didn't know any better, she would say that Naru was trying to avoid her.

The door opened, and Ayako waltzed in. "Hello Mai."

"Hullo."

"Why are you so glum?" Mai lifted her hands up, and slapped them down again on the desk with a loud thud.

"Naru is… being all weird. I mean, I never see him. If it wasn't for the fact that there is always a pile of dirty teacups in the sink when I get in, I would say that he wasn't in at all."

"Hmmm… Mai, is it possible that he's feeling awkward around you? I mean, he did practically kiss you and everything."

"N…no. This is Naru. That would mean that it meant something to him."

"Mai, wake up and smell the roses. We all know that you two like each other, apart from the two of you yourselves. Now, I am going to go and get him and you are going to talk to each other like adults. Which you are." Ignoring Mai's protests, Ayako marched over to Naru's office door, wrenched it open, and stalked inside.

Several minutes later, a very confused and annoyed looking Naru was dragged out by the ear, Ayako holding onto him. She plonked him on the sofa, and Mai hesitantly sat down opposite him. Ayako stood by the window, her arms folded.

"Now. Talk." Ayako commanded, and scrutinized them through narrowed eyes. Naru glowered, and Mai shrank back, before frowning and sitting up straighter.

"What the hell is going on Naru? You've been avoiding me all week, ever since I got discharged. You've even gone off your tea. What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Well, if it's nothing, can you please stop ignoring me? Because seriously, it's getting kinda annoying."

"I'm not ignoring you."

"Oh really? Then why are you never talking to me? Or asking for tea? Or telling me that I'm late? Or telling me off? All this started when I mentioned you resuscitating me in the hospital! Are you too much of an emotionally constipated idiot to realise that? When will you take your head out of the sand! I love you. You. Not your brother, or anyone else. I have for years," Mai exploded, red flooding her face as she leapt to her feet. "I love you," she whispered again.

Unbeknownst to the two teens, Ayako had quietly crept to the little kitchenette, having first kidnapped Lin who had stepped out of his office to see what was happening at the beginning of Mai's tirade.

Naru stared at Mai in shock. He stood up, and catching her wrists, he bent down and kissed her softly on the mouth. When he pulled away, a ghost of a smile was lurking on his face. He pulled her closer to him and leant his chin on the top of her head.

"I love you too, Mai." Mai smiled into his chest, and hugged him back.

**No! It's finished! *cries tears*. Well, to be fair, it took me long enough… and I have loads more story ideas bubbling away in my brain… two of which are partially written. I have a whole Oscar worthy speech in my mind (the one where you thank everything living under the sun) but to cut it short, and because most people hate them, I will thank one person: my friend, who has three accounts. Thank you for proof reading my work, listened to all my crazy ideas and told me when they were crap, and told me about fanfiction and Ghost Hunt in the first place. Without her, I wouldn't be writing this at all. And if you want a full speech, than tough. I cba. ;)**

**Wow. Okay, so heavy stuff over. On a lighter note, it's snowing! I love the snow. But not the wet part of it… or the cold part… Oh, and sorry for any oocness. To be honest, I really couldn't finish it. I might change it in the future, but right now I'm okay with it. I hope you guys are as well.**

**I'm going to get a cup of tea now. So long, and thanks for all the reviews. And the fish. XD**

**Hodgeheg**


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